I do not wish to be an artist, I only wish that art enables me to be. – Noah Purifoy 1963

Noah Purifoy was a High School Industrial Arts teacher, a Social Worker, and an artist.

He was the founder and director of the Watts Tower Art Center in the 1960’s. His work has been featured at the LACMA, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, the Getty and many other museums world wide.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum of Assemblage and learning more about this fascinating man.

The girls earned their Night Explorer Jr. Ranger badges while we were at JTNP. It was interesting to learn that Joshua Tree was recently designated as a Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association. They learned about astronomy, the effects of light pollution, and we even tried our hand in some astrophotography.

This trip was just what we needed after a very busy month. Four days and threes nights. No schedules, no distractions, just us. We rock climbed, took afternoon naps (ok, maybe that was just me 😉 ) practiced our photography skills, read, did a little plein air, played board games and drank sparkling cider on New Year’s Eve. I think we just might make this a yearly tradition.

Details- Indian Cove campsite # 59

Pros- lots of shade. would be a great spot to stay in during the warmer months.

Cons- kangaroo rats. we had two adorable, yet persistent visitors each night.